Relationships between sport and exercise participation and subjective well-being among adults with physical disabilities: Is participation quality more important than participation quantity?

Sport and exercise participation are associated with small, albeit positive changes in subjective well-being (SWB). Recent theorizing has emphasized the importance of distinguishing between performance aspects (i.e.

Personal strategies to mitigate the effects of air pollution exposure during sport and exercise: a narrative review and position statement by the Canadian Academy of Sport and Exercise Medicine and the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology.

Air pollution is among the leading environmental threats to health around the world today, particularly in the context of sports and exercise. With the effects of air pollution, pollution episodes (eg, wildfire conflagrations) and climate change becoming increasingly apparent to the general population, so have their impacts on sport and exercise. As such, there has been growing interest in the sporting community (ie, athletes, coaches, and sports science and medicine team members) in practical personal-level actions to reduce the exposure to and risk of air pollution.

Physiological Considerations to Support Podium Performance in Para-Athletes.

The twenty-first century has seen an increase in para-sport participation and the number of research publications on para-sport and the para-athlete. Unfortunately, the majority of publications are case reports/case series or study single impairment types in isolation. Indeed, an overview of how each International Paralympic Committee classifiable impairment type impact athlete physiology, health, and performance has not been forthcoming in the literature.

Significance of spinal cord perfusion pressure following spinal cord injury: A systematic scoping review.

This scoping review systematically reviewed relevant research to summarize the literature addressing the significance of monitoring spinal cord perfusion pressure (SCPP) in acute traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI). The objectives of the review were to (1) examine the nature of research in the field of SCPP monitoring in SCI, (2) summarize the key research findings in the field, and (3) identify research gaps in the existing literature and future research priorities. Primary literature searches were conducted using databases (Medline and Embase) and expanded searches were conducted by reviewing the references of eligible articles and searches of Scopus, Web of Science core collection, Google Scholar, and conference abstracts.

Influence of respiratory loading on left-ventricular function in cervical spinal cord injury.

Cervical spinal cord injury (C-SCI) negatively impacts cardiac and respiratory function. As the heart and lungs are linked via the pulmonary circuit these systems are interdependent. Here, we utilized inspiratory and expiratory loading to assess whether augmenting the respiratory pump improves left-ventricular (LV) filling and output in individuals with motor-complete C-SCI.

All over the MAP: describing pressure variability in acute spinal cord injury.

Study Design: Observational study.

Objectives: To examine the feasibility of meeting the current clinical guidelines for the hemodynamic management of acute spinal cord injury (SCI) which recommend maintaining mean arterial pressure (MAP) at 85-90 mmHg in the days following injury.

Methods: This study examined data collected minute-by-minute to describe the pressure profile in the first 5 days following SCI in 16 patients admitted to the Intensive Care Unit at Vancouver General Hospital (40 ± 19 years, 13 M/3 F, C4-T11).

The effects of active upper-limb versus passive lower-limb exercise on quality of life among individuals with motor-complete spinal cord injury.

Study Design: Multi-centre randomized clinical trial.

Objectives: (1) compare the effects of arm-cycle ergometry (ACET) and body weight supported treadmill training (BWSTT) on quality of life (QOL) and intermediary variables in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI); (2) examine correlations between baseline measures, and changes in physical activity, QOL, and intermediaries.

Setting: Hospital-based research institutes (Vancouver, Toronto) and University-based exercise program (Hamilton).

Is Sleep Disordered Breathing Confounding Rehabilitation Outcomes in Spinal Cord Injury Research?

The purpose of this article is to highlight the importance of considering sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) as a potential confounder to rehabilitation research interventions in spinal cord injury (SCI). SDB is highly prevalent in SCI, with increased prevalence in individuals with higher and more severe lesions, and the criterion standard treatment with continuous positive airway pressure remains problematic. Despite its high prevalence, SDB is often untested and untreated in individuals with SCI.

Cardiovascular responses to heat acclimatisation in athletes with spinal cord injury.

Objectives: To determine the effect of heat acclimatisation (HA) training on blood profile and resting cardiac function in elite athletes with spinal cord injury (SCI).

Design: Quasi-experimental.

Methods: Eleven athletes (10m, 1f) with SCI (C5-T3) completed a five-day isothermic HA protocol whereby gastrointestinal temperature (Tc) was elevated to and maintained at ∼38.

Spinal Cord Injury Impairs Cardiovascular Capacity in Elite Wheelchair Rugby Athletes.

Objective: To examine differences in heart rate (HR) responses during international wheelchair rugby competition between athletes with and without a cervical spinal cord injury (SCI) and across standardized sport classifications.

Design: Observational study.

Setting: The 2015 Parapan American Games wheelchair rugby competition.

Respiratory muscle training in athletes with cervical spinal cord injury: effects on cardiopulmonary function and exercise capacity.

Key Points: The effect of combined inspiratory and expiratory muscle training on resting and reflexive cardiac function, as well as exercise capacity, in individuals with cervical spinal cord injury (SCI) is presently unknown. Six weeks of combined inspiratory and expiratory muscle training enhances both inspiratory and expiratory muscle strength in highly-trained athletes with cervical SCI with no significant effect on lung function. There was a significant decrease in left-ventricular filling and stroke volume at rest in response to 45° head-up tilt, which is irreversible by respiratory muscle training.

Cardiac consequences of spinal cord injury: systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: Conduct a meta-analysis to determine the impact of traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) on echocardiographic measurements of left ventricular (LV) structure and function.

Methods: MEDLINE and Embase were used for primary searches of studies reporting LV echocardiographic data in individuals with SCI. Of 378 unique citations, 36 relevant full-text articles were retrieved, and data from 27 studies were extracted for meta-analyses.

Effect of Unintentional Boosting on Exercise Performance in a Tetraplegic Athlete.

Boosting is the induction of autonomic dysreflexia (AD) to reflexively activate otherwise dormant thoracolumbar sympathetic circuitry to "boost" the capacity of the cardiovascular system and enhance exercise performance. AD is a life-threatening condition unique to individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) characterized by a sudden increase in sympathetic activity below the level of the SCI. Here we report on the temporal HR response to an episode of unintentional boosting during a validated field-based exercise performance test in an athlete with tetraplegia.

A 20×20m repeated sprint field test replicates the demands of wheelchair rugby.

Objectives: To assess the physiological responses to, and the agreement between, a 20×20m repeated sprint field test and wheelchair rugby game play, as well as the reliability of the test.

Design: Cross-sectional and longitudinal.

Methods: Heart rate (HR), blood lactate ([La]), and ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) were collected in nineteen elite wheelchair rugby athletes before, during, and after a 20×20m repeated sprint field test and game play.

Boosting in Elite Athletes with Spinal Cord Injury: A Critical Review of Physiology and Testing Procedures.

Many individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) experience autonomic dysfunction, which can have major implications on heart rate and blood pressure responses to exercise, and consequently athletic performance. Athletic performance may be improved by the induction of autonomic dysreflexia ('boosting'), a dangerous and sometimes life-threatening condition. Here, we review the autonomic response to exercise in individuals with SCI and the current testing methods for boosting, and examine the potential for autonomic testing to be used in the classification of SCI athletes.

Peak heart rates and sympathetic function in tetraplegic nonathletes and athletes.

Purpose: To examine differences in peak heart rate (HR) and measures of sympathetic function between nonathletes and athletes with chronic, motor-complete, cervical spinal cord injury (SCI).

Methods: Eight nonathletic men with SCI (C4-C7; age 47 ± 9 yr, with injury duration of 16 ± 9 yr) and 13 athletic men with SCI (C5-C8; age 37 ± 8 yr, with injury duration of 16 ± 6 yr) participated in the study. Measures of sympathetic function included palmar sympathetic skin responses (SSR) to median nerve stimulation, and systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressure responses to a passive sit-up test.

Refined assessment of blood pressure instability after spinal cord injury.

Background: This study determined whether the Autonomic Dysfunction Following Spinal Cord Injury (ADFSCI) questionnaire, a measure of self-reported frequency and severity of symptoms during hypo- and hypertensive episodes, correlates with blood pressure (BP) instability. In addition, test-retest reliability of the ADFSCI questionnaire was assessed.

Methods: Thirty individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) (aged 42±12 years; level of lesion = C3-L1; American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale = A-C; lesion duration = 1 month to 30 years after injury) participated in this study.

Physical exercise improves arterial stiffness after spinal cord injury.

Objective/background: Aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV), the gold-standard assessment of central arterial stiffness, has prognostic value for cardiovascular disease risk in able-bodied individuals. The aim of this study was to compare aortic PWV in athletes and non-athletes with spinal cord injury (SCI).

Design: Cross-sectional comparison.